Overview
- Congress ordered the change in the December 2025 defense bill, and the Selective Service is now building a system that auto‑enrolls eligible men using IRS, Social Security and DMV data with an 18th‑birthday scan that registers them within 30 days.
- Registration applies to males ages 18 to 25, including noncitizens such as green‑card holders, refugees and undocumented men, and it creates a registry rather than enlistment.
- A draft would still require a new law signed by the president and passed by Congress, and the United States has not drafted anyone since 1973.
- Failure to register remains a crime punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and it can also block federal student aid, some government jobs and naturalization for immigrants.
- Families should expect fewer missed forms and fewer lost benefits because enrollment will be automatic, while lawsuits over the male‑only rule and privacy concerns continue.